Avaliação sensorial e higienicossanitária de peixes comercializados em uma feira e em um supermercado do bairro Cidade Operária, do município de São Luís – MA

Abstract

Fish is a food rich in nutrients, with numerous health benefits, especially cardiovascular. However, it is one of the most perishable foods when compared to meats of other animal species, due to its intrinsic characteristics (pH, water activity, protein), making it more vulnerable to bacterial activities. In addition, extrinsic factors (temperature, transport, storage) also have a significant influence on the quality and shelf-life of the latter, and may cause harm to public health in the event of food contamination. The commercialization of the fish has gained more and more economic importance, occurring generally in fairs and in supermarkets, places with easy access to the population. In order to evaluate the hygienic and sanitary conditions of the commercial places, checklists were applied with questions related to the infrastructure, hygiene of the manipulators and the way the food was stored. In addition, sensorial evaluations of 20 fish were carried out, being 10 of the fair and 10 of the supermarket, in order to evaluate the freshness of these. Regarding the checklist, it was noticed that the fair when compared to the supermarket presented greater irregularities, taking into account the rules established by RDC 216/2004 of ANVISA. Although the conditions of the fair are inadequate, the samples of fish analyzed sensorially presented a higher index of freshness when compared to the supermarket. In view of this, the Municipal Sanitary Surveillance is necessary, supervising and encouraging the sellers, making modifications in the infrastructure of the commercial place, as well as the educational process with the manipulators, passing on this knowledge about the good practices of manipulation, improving The quality of the product, minimizing the risks to public health.